The present invention relates generally to a manner by which to alert a user of a mobile station of a call placed to the mobile station. More particularly, the present invention relates to a user interface assembly, and an associated method, that provides an annunciator that is worn by a user of the mobile station as part of an earpiece. An alert is generated when a call placed to the mobile station is detected thereat. Because the alert is generated at the earpiece, the alert forms a private alert. Loud and obtrusive call alerts are avoided as the alert, when sounded, is heard only by the user of the mobile station.
Data is communicated during operation of a communication system between a sending station and a receiving station. A communication channel connects the sending and receiving stations together and defines a communication path upon which the data is communicated. If necessary, the data communicated by the sending station is first converted into a form to permit its communication upon the communication channel. And, the informational content of the data is recovered at the receiving station, once communicated thereto.
Many different types of communication systems have been developed and implemented to effectuate the communication of data pursuant to many different types of communication services, between two or more sending and receiving stations.
A radio communication system is a communication system in which the communication channel interconnecting the sending and receiving stations is defined upon a radio link, or radio interface, extending therebetween. The radio link is defined upon a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because a radio link is used upon which to define the communication channel, a radio communication system is inherently mobile. A communication system that, instead, utilizes a conventional wireline connection upon which to define the communication channel, is typically of limited mobility due to the need to interconnect the sending and receiving stations by way of a conventional, wireline connection.
A cellular communication system is exemplary of a radio communication system, regularly utilized to communicate data, such as voice data. The communication network infrastructures of various different types of cellular communication systems have been installed throughout large geographical areas of the world. And, successive generations of cellular communication systems have been developed and implemented.
Use of a cellular communication system to communicate therethrough is generally permitted pursuant to a service subscription. A user, referred to as a subscriber, is permitted access to communication services effectuated by way of the network infrastructure of a cellular communication system pursuant to the service subscription thereto. Telephonic communication services, for instance, are effectuated by way of the network infrastructure of the cellular communication system.
The subscriber communicates with the network infrastructure of a cellular communication system through the use of a radio telephone, sometimes referred to as a mobile station. Both forward and reverse link communication channels are defined, and two-way communications are provided between the network infrastructure of the cellular communication system and the mobile station.
A mobile station is generally constructed in a manner such that its operation mimics, to a significant extent, operation of a conventional, wireline, telephonic station. For instance, when a subscriber originates a call, the subscriber enters the telephone number of the party that is to be called by way of a telephonic keypad. And, when a call, originated elsewhere, for placement to, i.e., termination at, the mobile station, the mobile station generates a ringing tone, or otherwise annunciates, the placement of the call thereto.
Typically, the ringing tone, or other annunciation, generated by the mobile station, is initiated responsive to reception, at the mobile station, of a paging signal. In some cellular communication systems, the paging signal is transmitted upon a controlled channel to which the mobile station is tuned at selected intervals. While control signaling, also is generated during call placement and acceptance of the call, the additional control signaling is generally transparent to the subscriber that utilizes the mobile station. And, the subscriber accepts a call placed to the mobile station in a manner generally analogous to a manner by which a user of a conventional wireline telephone accepts the call. That is, a switch is operated to select acceptance of the call.
Many mobile stations are of physical dimensions permitting their convenient carriage by a subscriber. Many mobile stations are of dimensions and weights permitting their carriage in a shirt pocket, purse, or the like, thereby to permit a call to be originated by the subscriber or a call terminated with the subscriber from any location at which the subscriber is positioned. That is, a subscriber need not be located in proximity to a conventional, wireline telephonic station in order to place or receive a call.
While the communication mobility provided by cellular communication systems through the use of mobile stations operable therein significantly expands communication opportunities, the convenience with which the mobile station can be carried might cause the subscriber inadvertently to carry the mobile station, in a turned-on condition, into an area in which the ringing tone, or other annunciation of placement of a call thereto should not be sounded.
While some mobile stations provide non-aural alerts, such alerts sometimes do not adequately alert the subscriber of the call placement thereto. For instance, some mobile stations include vibrating alerts that generate vibrating motions when a call placed to the mobile station is detected. Due to the limited annunciation provided by a vibrating annunciator, aural alerts are generally preferred.
An improved manner of providing aural alerts that permits the aural alert to be only a private alert would be advantageous.
It is in light of this background information related to placement of a call to a mobile station that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.
The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides a user interface assembly, and an associated method, by which to alert a user of a mobile station of a call placed to the mobile station.
Through operation of an embodiment of the present invention, a manner is provided by which to annunciate placement of a call to the mobile station. The annunciator is worn by a user as part of an earpiece.
When a call placed to the mobile station is detected at the mobile station, an alert is generated by the annunciator. Because the alert is positioned at the earpiece, the alert forms a private alert. Loud and obtrusive call alerts, generated by conventional mobile station annunciator apparatus, are avoided as the alert, when sounded, is heard only by the user of the mobile station.
In one aspect of the present invention, an earpiece assembly is provided that can be worn by the user of the mobile station. Positioned at, and carried by, the earpiece assembly are a local radio receiver and an aural annunciator coupled to the local radio receiver. The local radio receiver operates to detect locally-generated radio signals that are generated when detection is made at the mobile station of placement of a call to the mobile station. When detection is made of the locally-generated radio receive signals, an indication of the detection is provided to the aural annunciator. The aural annunciator aurally annunciates the detection. By aurally annunciating the detection, the user of the mobile station, wearing the earpiece assembly, is alerted to the placement of the call to the mobile station.
In another aspect of the present invention, the locally-generated radio receive signals also include indicia of the identity of the calling party. Indicia associated with the identity of the calling party is detected by the local radio receiver, and the aural annunciator is caused to generate an alert that audibly indicates the identity of the calling party. Again, because the audible alert is generated at an earpiece assembly worn by a user of the mobile station, the audible alert is a private alert, not a loud and obtrusive, general-call alert generated during typical operation of conventional mobile stations having conventional annunciator apparatus.
In another aspect of the present invention, a local radio-signal transmitter is positioned at the mobile station. The local radio-signal transmitter operates responsive to detection at the mobile station of placement of the call thereto. The local radio-signals generated and transmitted by the local-signal radio transmitter are transmitted to the local radio-signal receiver positioned at the earpiece, thereafter to be annunciated by the annunciator carried by the earpiece assembly. The local radio signal forms, for example, a Bluetooth(trademark)-formatted signal, and the local radio transmitter and receiver comprise Bluetooth(trademark) devices. Alternately, the local radio signals form IEEE 802.11-formatted signals, or signals generated pursuant to another communication standard.
In another aspect of the present invention, the aural annunciation generated by the annunciator forming part of the earpiece includes an announcement of the identity of the calling party. The call signaling, including the paging signal generated pursuant to a call request initiated by the calling party for termination at the mobile station, includes indicia identifying the calling party. The indicia identifying the calling party is detected by a caller identification detector at the mobile station. A database contained at the mobile station includes a listing in which the indicia identifying the calling party, such as by phone number, is indexed together with mnemonics associated with the identifying indicia. The mnemonic index together with the identifying indicia is retrieved from the database. And the local transmitter, positioned at the mobile station, generates the local-radio signals that are representative of the mnemonic retrieved from the database. The local radio receiver positioned at the earpiece assembly, upon detection of the local-receive signals, operates upon such signals and provides the signals to the annunciator at which the mnemonic is converted into audio form to be detected by the user of the mobile station. Alternately, or if no mnemonic is contained in the database, the telephone number of the calling party is communicated by the local radio transmitter, and the audio alert generated by the annunciator is formed of the telephone number of the calling party.
When the user of the mobile station hears the alert generated by the annunciator, the user is able to elect whether to accept the call. If the call is accepted, forward link signals sent by the calling party to the mobile station are also provided by way of the local radio transmitter and are converted into audio form by the annunciator. And, if the user elects not to accept the call, the call refusal is effectuated in conventional manner such as by actuation by an appropriate actuation key of the mobile station. A private alert of the placement of a call to the mobile station is thereby provided.
In these and other aspects, therefore, a user interface assembly, and an associated method, is provided for a mobile station operable in a radio communication system at least to receive a call placed thereto by a calling party. The call is originated by an originating station. A user interface assembly at least alerts a user of the mobile station of placement of the call thereto. A local radio receiver element is positionable to receive local radio signals representative of call termination at the mobile station. The local radio signals are generated responsive to detection at the mobile station of the call thereto. An aural annunciator is coupled to the local radio receiver element. The aural annunciator is operable responsive to detection at the local radio receiver element of the placement of the call to the mobile station. The aural annunciator annunciates aurally, in a selected manner, the detection thereat of the call. An earpiece supports the local radio receiver element and the aural annunciator. The earpiece, together with the local radio receiver element and the aural annunciator, are wearable by the user, positionable by the user to permit private alert through the aural annunciation of the aural annunciator to the user of the detection of the call placed to the mobile station.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and the scope thereof can be obtained from the accompanying drawings that are briefly summarized below, the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and the appended claims.